How to &quot;make&quot; Plastic

Introduction: How to &quot;make&quot; Plastic

I have always searched for a quick and simple way to make plastic. I have tried many but the one in this instructable the best I have found. It uses materials that you probably already have in your house, it is fun to do and can be completed within minutes. I hope you will enjoy doing this instructable and will be able to learn something at the same time.

Step 2: Prepare the Acetone

Open the canister of acetone and pour some acetone into the glass container. You don't need much, 1 centimeter should be enough for a little batch of plastic. If theres not enough you can always add some more later.

Step 3: Melt the Styrofoam

Start by breaking your block or blocks of Styrofoam in pieces that fit into your glass container. Then take the pieces and push them into the acetone. Continue pushing Styrofoam into the acetone until the blocks you put in don't melt anymore.

Then wait one to five minutes for some of the acetone to evaporate. Wait one minute if you want it to mold the plastic and five if you want to shape it. The more you let the acetone evaporate the more solid it will be. You might even want to mold it while its still "liquid".

Step 5: Safety

Acetone is a very dangerous chemical, read the safety instructions before using it. You should never drink or inhale it. Also, do not do this project near any kind of flames because acetone is very flammable. Wash your hands after touching the uncured plastic or the acetone and don't do anything stupid. Do this project in a well ventilated area, preferably outside.

Here's an extract of the MSDS safety sheet: "May be harmful by inhalation, ingestion or skin absorption. Irritant. Liquid may cause permanent eye damage (corneal clouding). Contact with skin may cause defatting, leading to irritation. Long-term exposure may cause liver damage." Wearing gloves is a good idea, but you'll have to use butyl rubber gloves or some other kind of acetone resistant glove. For more information on chemical resistant gloves follow this link.

Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any harm done to you by your negligence or misinterpretation of this project and by using this information you agree to defend and hold me harmless from any and all claims, demands, damages, costs and liabilities.

Step 6: The Science Behind It

Polystyrene is a polymer made from the monomer styrene, a liquid hydrocarbon that is commercially manufactured from petroleum by the chemical industry.

The chemical makeup of polystyrene is a long chain hydrocarbon with every other carbon connected to a Phenyl group.

Expanded polystyrene (Styrofoam) is produced from a mixture of about 90-95% polystyrene and 5-10% gaseous blowing agent, most commonly pentane or carbon dioxide.The solid plastic is expanded into a foam through the use of heat, usually steam.

Pure solid polystyrene is a colorless, hard plastic with limited flexibility. It can be cast into molds with fine detail. Polystyrene can be transparent or can be made to take on various colors. It is economical and is used for producing plastic model assembly kits, license plate frames, plastic cutlery, CD "jewel" cases, and many other objects where a fairly rigid, economical plastic of any of various colours is desired.

When Styrofoam is added to acetone (a common organic solvent) it very rapidly dissolves, making it look like it is disappearing. The melted plastic can be recovered from the acetone to make hard solid Styrofoam plastic (polystyrene). In other words, you don't actually make plastic you just transform an existing form of plastic. The acetone sort of serves as a molecular "lubricant" between the polymer chains, allowing them to slide around each other. The Styrofoam becomes soft, releasing the air bubbles trapped in the foam, and the polystyrene ends up as a soft blob in the acetone. When the blob is removed and the acetone is allowed to evaporate, it solidifies into a piece of hard plastic.

Their are two type of solvents, polar solvents and non polar solvents. Bio-plastics will dissolve in polar solvents like water, while polystyrene will dissolve in non-polar solvents like acetone.

Let's consider two solvents that are pretty different in their polarities in order to explore this topic. Water, which we said is a polar solvent, dissolves almost anything that is polar, such as salt and many other ionic compounds. Water can't dissolve everything, though. Try removing fingernail polish with water and you'll see what I mean. Acetone, a solvent with some non-polar properties, is commonly used to do that job. Acetone is an effective solvent for all sorts of non-polar substances.

The resin identification code symbol for polystyrene, developed by the Society of the Plastics Industry so that items can be labeled for easy recycling, is 6. However, the majority of polystyrene products are currently not recycled because of a lack of suitable recycling facilities.Hence, even tough this is a petroleum based plastic, you probably are helping the environment since you reuse a plastic that would usually go to waste and that would take thousands of years to decompose.

i made some of this stuff recently and filled a short length of PVC pipe with it as a mold. the next day i pick up the pvc to find that the plastic had not dried and also the PVC was going soft! i think that acetone is a solvent for PVC but won't dissolve it. i will experiment more and let you guys know.

Acetone breaks down and reconstitutes almost all plastics. You could also use Acetone and Legos. Acetone and any ABS plastics will cause the plastics to melt essentially. That's why the PVC was going "soft". If you had more acetone there it would have melted it and could have caused a very large mess. I wouldn't recommend this type of "plastic" for injection molding.

it went only a little soft. i actually tried to shove this stuff(acetone + thermocol) into a paper mold but even though i had painted it with resin it tore. any suggestions as to mold it? also i want to make a look alike spartan spear for a costume out of 3/4 in CPVC piping but i do not know how to shape the blade into one. any ideas for molding this?please respond.

I can make my own plastic products by using some recycle plastic in my home. I am using the step that just same like the "plastic injection mold machine". I can make any think with different colour and I can make it just a few minutes.

Is there an instructible which shows actually making things from this kind of plastic? I made some as an experiment but it was so sticky it's hard for me to imagined making anything useful from it. I can't find a site anywhere showing how to use it.

You need to look up Material Safety Data Sheets for any chemical you use they are very practical, giving lots of information about the safety aspects of solvents and other chemicals. Acetone can remove some of the oils and fats from your skin . There is also flammability issues as you all know. All industrial chemicals have some issues it just depends how you use them. MSDS's are full of practical info, just google them

I had this thought myself, but acetone is good because it evaporates quickly. I Made a test batch of this stuff about - 10-15 millilitres - using turpentine. It dissolved well enough, but 2 weeks later it's still squishy.

i tried to force this stuff into a mold made from cardboard made with the help of pepakura. the paper completely tore. any one have any ideas on how i can make similar molds and perhaps inject the plastic into it?

???you make napalm by adding aluminum soaps to petrol (gasoline)!this would be flammable due to the acetone and the drying plastic would be like napalm (sticks 'n' burns) but not when dry. where did you get that idea from?

I was just experimenting when I realized the common ingredients. There is an easier way to produce napalm tho. I believe someone even made an instructable how to do so. Which surprised me. Just be careful. Napalm can be very useful if not used for its original purpose.

i though this site had moderators on language. i am betting you are an American.napalm, when lit almost explodes then starts to burn. do you really think i want to go to hell directly?this 'might' be an explosive but it won't be napalm. it will be somthing else.